Avanti West Coast helps pilot virtual work experience for young people in Warrington

• Avanti West Coast supports Network Rail’s trial of virtual work experience Ready 4 Rail, to inspire young people in communities it serves
• Video featuring Warrington Bank Quay station team offers insight into career opportunities

Avanti West Coast employees have given young people a unique insight into their roles as part of a pilot virtual work experience programme by Network Rail.

Using a specially created video, the Station Manager and Customer Service Assistants based at Warrington Bank Quay talked to students from UTC Warrington about the different jobs available at Avanti West Coast, for the trial of Network Rail’s work experience initiative ‘Ready 4 Rail’.

Developed by Network Rail, the virtual programme is designed to provide a viable alternative to traditional work experience, which has been cancelled due to the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as preparing young people for future career and academic choices.

Bringing together different organisations, the scheme aims to showcase opportunities across the rail industry virtually - through videos, presentations, and engagement activities with video conferencing. 

Avanti West Coast, which connects Warrington to Scotland and London with its services, was invited to give students an understanding into the role of a train operator with a dedicated session.   

During the forum, the inter-city operator shared stories from its staff about how they came to work in the rail industry – from deciding on a career change, to a new-found interest following work experience – and how they engage with local communities and strive to deliver the best possible customer experience.

The team at Warrington Bank Quay were joined by colleagues from office-based roles, who gave a glimpse into their work across the route and involvement with the station.  

Following the video, students had the opportunity to put forward questions to Avanti West Coast representatives as part of a Q&A session.

Gareth Williams, Head of Sustainability at Avanti West Coast, said: “We want to connect young people to opportunity, so we’re proud to have played our part in Network Rail’s trial of its Ready 4 Rail programme – ensuring young people don’t miss out on gaining an insight into the opportunities available within the industry. It has been great to showcase what Avanti West Coast is about and we hope our session will help to attract new and emerging talent in the communities we serve.” 

Lee Braham, Avanti West Coast Station Manager at Warrington Bank Quay, said: “Helping others is a rewarding experience and by supporting this programme we hope to make a difference in our local community and inspire the next generation of potential railway workers. I hope our short video will go a long way in helping students who want to know more about starting a career on the railway.”

James Richards, Engineering Capability Manager at Network Rail, said: “We know how important work experience is to help prepare students for the career and academic choices, which is why we’ve worked with industry partners to develop a virtual approach to work experience with our ‘Ready 4 Rail’ programme. Trialling this new approach has enabled us to bring to life the wider opportunities in the rail industry – highlighting the many partners involved in the railway and the vital work they deliver. I hope that Ready 4 Rail will have inspired the students to explore the industry as a potential employer and that they had fun, developed their skills and feel well-equipped to make choices for their future.”

ENDS